Drug habit leads to exploitation of senior citizen

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Three people have been charged with taking advantage of an 84-year-old wheelchair-bound woman.

An arrest warrant says that Paul Eugene Hupp III was acting as a caretaker for the woman. Between May 15 and 30, 2013, Hupp is accused of taking an unknown number of the woman's personal checks and forging her name on seven of them.

Hupp, 32, is then accused of giving the forged checks to Jessica Bennett and Erick Joshua James, 23, who would cash them and give a portion of the money.

Police were alert by the victim who noticed suspicious activity on her account. In a sworn statement, Hupp admitted that he forged the woman's signature and endorsed the checks over to Bennett and James. Hupp said he used the money he got to buy heroin.

Hupp is charged with seven counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and knowing exploiting an adult. James is facing one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument. Police said James presented and cashed one of the forged checks at a branch of the victim's bank.

Hupp and James were released from Louisville Metro Corrections early on January 23.